Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P L A Y E R B I O S / / / / / / / T he choices for Jaylen Harvey, one of the nation's top edge rushers in the class of 2024, were plentiful late in his recruitment. H av i n g f i e l d e d sc h o l a rs h i p o f- fers from dozens of top programs, the four-star Quince Orchard (Md.) High prospect narrowed his options down to Penn State, Florida, Maryland and USC, nearing a final decision. In successive weekends last summer, he took official visits to see for himself each program's strengths and weaknesses, setting up an opportunity to put his recruitment to rest. Then, he held off. With Florida dropping off his list in August, Harvey waited to see how each program performed on the field in 2023. And, with former Quince Orchard de- fensive end Chop Robinson flourishing as a junior with the Nittany Lions, the relationship-building already firmly founded at Penn State only deepened. Harvey leaned on his bonds with head coach James Franklin and defensive line coach Deion Barnes, and the connec- tions paid dividends when he officially selected the Lions on Oct. 16, becoming the final member of their 25-player class. Harvey's choice came as no surprise to Quince Orchard head coach John Kelley. "Obviously, Demeioun [Chop] Robin- son was there, and he's one of our guys from before. So, I think starting out, that carried some weight," Kelley said. "But other than that, they just did a great job recruiting him. They were consistent. That was a big thing. He really liked it every time he went up there." Living just three hours from Penn State's campus, Harvey had ample op- portunity to make sure the Lions were the right choice. He visited 12 times during the course of his recruitment, all while developing into the No. 37 edge rusher and No. 378 overall prospect in the nation, per the On3 Industry Rank- ing. Harvey has been described as having an unbelievable first step off the ball, and those twitchy movements are comple- mented by a developing physicality that hasn't stopped since his sophomore year at Quince Orchard. Adding another two inches and 45 pounds in his last couple years of high school, Harvey has contin- ued that process upon his enrollment at Penn State for the spring semester. "He's an elite pass rusher. He's relent- less. That guy is going to be very, very fun to watch in the upcoming years," said Alan Zemaitis, Penn State's recruiting coordinator for personnel. "When you talk about a natural pass rusher, he is that. When you're talking about having a dog mentality, he is that. And when you're talking about a guy that cares about ball, is not worried about the off- the-field distractions, he is that. "That's the reason why he didn't go to USC. He came to Penn State. It's be- cause we're about football here. We're about academics here. And we're going to set your life up with a great foun- dation. That's why he came to Penn State." — Nate Bauer DE | 6-2 | 266 Quince Orchard Gaithersburg, Md. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★★ 378 37 11 On3 ★★★★ — 40 10 ESPN ★★★★ — 25 15 Rivals ★★★★ — 22 13 247Sports ★★★ — 34 16 Statistics • Made 13 sacks with 9 stops behind the line of scrimmage as a senior captain during Quince Orchard's 11-1 campaign • Had 12 sacks and 8 tackles for loss as a junior Notable • First-team all-state selection in Maryland's Class 4A as a senior • Helped lead Quince Orchard to a 39-game winning streak, including back-to-back un- beaten campaigns as a sophomore and junior • Big 33 selection for Team Maryland Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on Oct. 16, 2023 • Recruited by defensive line coach Deion Barnes • Picked Penn State over USC and Maryland; other offers included Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida State, among others. • Enrolled at Penn State for the spring semester 2024 Projection Even with junior Abdul Carter moving to the defensive front after excelling at outside line- backer the past two seasons, defensive end should be a position ripe for competition at Penn State this offseason. Last year's starters, Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, are both headed to the NFL, and while junior Dani Dennis-Sutton is back, there's an opportunity for younger players to earn snaps. Harvey will have, at minimum, a chance to compete for playing time the way Ja- meial Lyons did as a freshman last season. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "The Nit- tany Lions value many things on the defensive line, including length and explosiveness. Harvey has those qualities, but he also brings some- thing a bit different to the table. The Quince Orchard defensive lineman has extensive experience playing on the interior for his team over the past two years. He's played three- technique, edge rusher, and played both the run and the pass from multiple positions. Harvey is nearly college-sized for his position despite his 6-foot-2 frame." Harvey chose the Nittany Lions in part because he was impressed with their development of fellow Quince Orchard graduate Chop Robinson. PHOTO BYY RYAN SNYDER JAYLEN HARVEY Quince Orchard connection pays off again for the Nittany Lions T H E H A R V E Y F I L E